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107 reviews for:
Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity
Gloria Mark
3.51 AVERAGE
107 reviews for:
Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity
Gloria Mark
3.51 AVERAGE
I read one chapter each day to finish the book, and I think this arrangement helped alleviate the text's tedium, which mainly because the topic contains scientific research language. Overall, I think the book is ok.
My favourite chapter, "How the Media Conditions Our Attention" (Chapter 11), where the author discusses how shots in TV, films, and advertisements are becoming increasingly shorter, supporting her argument that our diminishing attention span is a phenomenon embedded in broader culture. One interesting fact I learned was that shot lengths in film sequels have decreased; for example, the average shot length in the first Iron Man film was about 3.7 seconds, decreasing to 3 seconds in Iron Man 2, and further dropping to 2.4 seconds in Iron Man 3. And “shots containing the onset of motion have increased because filmmakers believe that it will better attract viewers' attention” (p. 224).
The author also traces the evolution of film editing from continuity editing to dialectical montage, then to the New Wave's editing style where audiences must actively connect scenes mentally. This evolution continues to today's most prevalent editing style, which aims to jolt attention—notoriously seen in YouTube's fast editing, where "jump cuts during dialogue now become normal" (p. 230). The author also interviewed with film critics and editors, that provides a valuable historical context for our current viewing culture. One critic's observation is particularly poignant: modern fast editing sacrifices contemplation for stimulation, that "you won't get a film that you can contemplate... you'll get a head rush. It's asking for your attention, but if you don't pay full attention, you just miss more of the chaos" (p. 233). This rapid-fire editing style depletes our cognitive resources and self-discipline, making notifications and mindless scrolling more alluring.
My favourite chapter, "How the Media Conditions Our Attention" (Chapter 11), where the author discusses how shots in TV, films, and advertisements are becoming increasingly shorter, supporting her argument that our diminishing attention span is a phenomenon embedded in broader culture. One interesting fact I learned was that shot lengths in film sequels have decreased; for example, the average shot length in the first Iron Man film was about 3.7 seconds, decreasing to 3 seconds in Iron Man 2, and further dropping to 2.4 seconds in Iron Man 3. And “shots containing the onset of motion have increased because filmmakers believe that it will better attract viewers' attention” (p. 224).
The author also traces the evolution of film editing from continuity editing to dialectical montage, then to the New Wave's editing style where audiences must actively connect scenes mentally. This evolution continues to today's most prevalent editing style, which aims to jolt attention—notoriously seen in YouTube's fast editing, where "jump cuts during dialogue now become normal" (p. 230). The author also interviewed with film critics and editors, that provides a valuable historical context for our current viewing culture. One critic's observation is particularly poignant: modern fast editing sacrifices contemplation for stimulation, that "you won't get a film that you can contemplate... you'll get a head rush. It's asking for your attention, but if you don't pay full attention, you just miss more of the chaos" (p. 233). This rapid-fire editing style depletes our cognitive resources and self-discipline, making notifications and mindless scrolling more alluring.
Well researched in discussing all the various pulls on our attention and contributing personal factors etc. however the net is cast very wide and ironically led to my attention drifting as the book wore on. My main critique is that subtitle is very misleading, as the implied promise of groundbreaking recommendations to better support attention falls far short. There is maybe one chapter with vague guidance at the very end. I think had I not walked into this book expecting more guidance and concrete suggestions, I would have been less frustrated with it.
A solid-enough book! I think unfortunately Dr. Mark is a better researcher than writer. ATTENTION SPAN is a fine-enough primer on the subject, but her explanations never struck me as all that engaging. I know, ironic for a book about attention. I liked Mark's attention to history, but do we need to know about B.F. Skinner's daughters air-crib? Do we need to know about what inspired Solomon Asch to get into psychology? And then there's all sorts of asides about her personal life that felt strangely unnecessary.
Some good advice towards the end of the book about attentional "friction". Frustrating read because I kept wanting it to go deeper. Unsatisfying neural explanations.
Overall: good for a PSYC 101-level introduction to attention.
Some good advice towards the end of the book about attentional "friction". Frustrating read because I kept wanting it to go deeper. Unsatisfying neural explanations.
Overall: good for a PSYC 101-level introduction to attention.
An exploration of how human attention works, how technology and culture have shaped and changed it, and with guidance on how to gain some degree of agency over one's own attention. This is a topic I've reflected on a good amount over the past year or two and towards which I hope to devote a reasonable amount of effort and focus this year. There were many things that were familiar to me from prior reading & research, but packaged well, and with insights that plumbed new areas.
A few key takeaways:
1) The first step (and perhaps main step) towards a more attentive life is awareness - being aware of one's own mental peaks during the day, of the things that pull one's attention away, of things that are draining and things that are restorative.
2) The goal is not to work with deep focus all day every day; that's humanly impossible. We have a limited amount of cognitive focus which is spent on deep work but ALSO spent on preventing moving to distractions. There is value in rote, simple distractions to "refill the tank" but the danger is when they go on for far too long - hence the value of hooks: timers, scheduling a meeting afterwards, etc.
3) Our devices & notifications & emails do distract us...but we're just as guilty of distracting ourselves. Our own internal stimuli of distractions emerge when we drain our tanks or focus too hard without appropriate balance; all the website blockers in the world won't let you focus on one thing forever all day every day.
This is all written much more eloquently and with substantial citations of research to back it up. I'd recommend to anyone who feels their distractions, particularly in the digital space, feel out of their control, for some context and encouraging next steps.
A few key takeaways:
1) The first step (and perhaps main step) towards a more attentive life is awareness - being aware of one's own mental peaks during the day, of the things that pull one's attention away, of things that are draining and things that are restorative.
2) The goal is not to work with deep focus all day every day; that's humanly impossible. We have a limited amount of cognitive focus which is spent on deep work but ALSO spent on preventing moving to distractions. There is value in rote, simple distractions to "refill the tank" but the danger is when they go on for far too long - hence the value of hooks: timers, scheduling a meeting afterwards, etc.
3) Our devices & notifications & emails do distract us...but we're just as guilty of distracting ourselves. Our own internal stimuli of distractions emerge when we drain our tanks or focus too hard without appropriate balance; all the website blockers in the world won't let you focus on one thing forever all day every day.
This is all written much more eloquently and with substantial citations of research to back it up. I'd recommend to anyone who feels their distractions, particularly in the digital space, feel out of their control, for some context and encouraging next steps.
Kind of borning. Perhaps I didnt have the attention span for it.
I went into Attention Span having read quite a bit on the topic already, including some of Gloria Mark's original studies. That said, I still felt like I learnt a lot about the psychological determinants of attention. Smart devices and hectic work environments get a lot of flack (deservedly) for ruining our ability to focus, but this was the first book I'd read to demonstrate how decreasing shot lengths in TV and advertising may also be contributing to the problem. But I think what sets this book apart is dr Mark's nuanced approach to focus and distraction. Being laser focused isn't always realistic and distraction's not all bad. Indeed, distraction may be a legitimate source of happiness as long as it serves our long term goals.
This is the first psychology book I've read to throw shade on the idea of "flow". Dr Mark admits she used to experience flow as an artist, but provides evidence that flow rarely exists in a business environment. This finding gave me pause, though I'm not yet ready to throw in the towel. Might the absence of flow in our working environments be yet another symptom of how hectic work settings are eroding our ability to pay attention and therefore...enjoy work? From a personal perspective I definitely experience flow during work, but it requires the kind of long term sustained attention on a single task that Dr Mark has proven to be ever so elusive today. Though I take solace in the claim that the elusive state of flow may not be strictly necessary for enjoying one's work.
Though noticeably short on solutions, the book does add to the growing literature on sustaining focus. Rather than suggest external solutions (app blockers etc), dr Mark invites us to work on ourselves. Realizing as many before her have that distraction stems from within, she puts forward lessons from Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory to suggest a business-friendly four step programme for fighting it: applying intention, foresight, self-correction and self-reflection. In other words, we should keep our goals top of mind and be mindful of our own tendencies to veer off course. This allows us to correct course and reflect on what we might do to prevent such lapses in the future.
I find this approach wise in its simplicity. Having been on my own little quest for focus these past few years, I've seen technofixes crumble before my very eyes under the weight of human agency. You can block an app, but unless you're literally stranded on an island, you will always find a way around your fickle little fences. Ultimately, your ability to not binge on the news or your social media feed is as strong as your internal desire to resist such distractions. And unfortunately, as it is with all things meaningful, there are no shortcuts to crafting our ability to live a more intentional life. I'm certainly not there yet, but Dr Mark's book serves as a much needed reminder to stay the course.
I'm giving this book four stars not so much for its substance but its delivery. The writing can be a bit dense at times, though I believe the learnings are worth it.
This is the first psychology book I've read to throw shade on the idea of "flow". Dr Mark admits she used to experience flow as an artist, but provides evidence that flow rarely exists in a business environment. This finding gave me pause, though I'm not yet ready to throw in the towel. Might the absence of flow in our working environments be yet another symptom of how hectic work settings are eroding our ability to pay attention and therefore...enjoy work? From a personal perspective I definitely experience flow during work, but it requires the kind of long term sustained attention on a single task that Dr Mark has proven to be ever so elusive today. Though I take solace in the claim that the elusive state of flow may not be strictly necessary for enjoying one's work.
Though noticeably short on solutions, the book does add to the growing literature on sustaining focus. Rather than suggest external solutions (app blockers etc), dr Mark invites us to work on ourselves. Realizing as many before her have that distraction stems from within, she puts forward lessons from Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory to suggest a business-friendly four step programme for fighting it: applying intention, foresight, self-correction and self-reflection. In other words, we should keep our goals top of mind and be mindful of our own tendencies to veer off course. This allows us to correct course and reflect on what we might do to prevent such lapses in the future.
I find this approach wise in its simplicity. Having been on my own little quest for focus these past few years, I've seen technofixes crumble before my very eyes under the weight of human agency. You can block an app, but unless you're literally stranded on an island, you will always find a way around your fickle little fences. Ultimately, your ability to not binge on the news or your social media feed is as strong as your internal desire to resist such distractions. And unfortunately, as it is with all things meaningful, there are no shortcuts to crafting our ability to live a more intentional life. I'm certainly not there yet, but Dr Mark's book serves as a much needed reminder to stay the course.
I'm giving this book four stars not so much for its substance but its delivery. The writing can be a bit dense at times, though I believe the learnings are worth it.
Kindle
This was more of an academic paper than I was prepared for. I had to really search for how to apply this to my life. That's a me problem so I don't want to let my rating but I really had to force myself thru to finish.
This was more of an academic paper than I was prepared for. I had to really search for how to apply this to my life. That's a me problem so I don't want to let my rating but I really had to force myself thru to finish.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A wealth of interesting information about the topic of attention. However, the writing was such that I, well, had much more trouble keeping my attention focused on it than I normally do with books of this type and I didn't digest as much as I would have liked. And much of the book is focused narrowly on those who do "information work" on their computers all day. So if that applies to you and you're willing to work harder than often to get past the way it's presented to the information itself, you should find this insightful and valuable.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced